Macaron Morn in Vienna

Walking around the heart of the city on our first morning in Vienna, I saw these macarons in the window and basically could not contain myself.  Breakfast location found (Kurkonditorei Oberlaa Wien), and luckily they had plenty of savory things on the menu too because I cannot dine on sweets alone, not matter how good the macaron.

I opted for two vanilla (vanille), one pistachio (pistazie) and one raspberry (himbeere) macaron and nibbled them down to the last crumb before breakfast came. And cut it with a cup of strong Viennese coffee.

Räucherlachs mit Krengervais & Toastbrot

Smoked salmon with horseradish cream & toast

The Macaron: A brief introduction

I was first introduced to the macaron via various blogs.  I drooled over the images at first sight.  I wondered about the texture and flavor and, as a simple dessert lover, wondered if my own personal food intuition matched the fantasy I was beginning to develop about the taste of these treats.

I was also curious about the apparent and distinct difference between this treat and the macaroon, a coconut cookie far more familiar to me. After some light google research, I see that my own confusion is not that uncommon.  While sharing the same name origin, the macaron and macaroon are completely different sticky treats. Filled with cream and typically offered in various pastel shades and in flavors ranging from rose or vanilla to chocolate or pistachio, the popularity of the macaron, whose batter typically consists of a mix of sugar, egg whites and crushed almonds, is vast.

Vanilla and almond macaron from Wurzelsepp, Nürnberg

And yes, it tastes as delectable- crisp on the outside, fluffy and creamy on the inside- as I imagined.